Placket-fastener.



PATENTED DEC. '1, 1903.

A. D. BELL.

PLAGKET PASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, 190a.

. N0 MODEL.

[I Ill 11 I hr..

INVENTOI? A fro/1W5 rs Patented December 1, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS D. BELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PLACKET-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFIGATION'forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,766, dated December 1903.

' Application filed June 26, 1903. Serial No. 163,203. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS D. BELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Placket-Fasteners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The present invention relates to garmentfasteners, and has particular application to a new and improved clasp or fastener designed especially for use on the plackets of skirts and analogous garments.

In carrying out the present invention I have particularly in contemplation the production of a clasp which may be secured to the placket of the skirt in such manner that when the placket is closed the fastener or clasp will be invisible, so that the skirt will present a neat and tidy appearance, thereby effecting a departure from the bulky untidyseam and protruding fasteners ordinarily incident to the placket-clasps commonly in use.

A further object of the present invention is to devise a placket-closer which will replace the hooks and eyes, slides, and like articles usually employed.

My clasp is entirely covered when closed and is so constructed that the fastener cannot open accidentally, any strain or pull upon the skirt or upon the fastener fixing the same more firmly in the cloth.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a fastener of the type described which will embody the essential and desired features of simplicity, durability, inexpensiveness, and convenience.

With the above-recited objects and others of a similar nature in view my invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as is described in this specification, delineated in the accompanying drawings, and set forth in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a view of the inside of the back portion or placket of a garment having my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a view of the outer surface of the skirt, showing the placket in its closed position, the fastener being firmly concealed when the skirt is closed, as is shown in this figure, the posi tion of the fastener beneath the cloth being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a view in cross-section, taken through the placket and the fastener and showing the manner in which the cloth of the garment is gripped and held in the fastener. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of one of the clasps forming the placket-closer. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the base-plate, showing particularly the shape of the lugs thereon; and Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the top plate, showing the pivots formed thereon.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, A designates the skirt, the rear edge portions aand b of which form the placket-openin g at the back and are designed to be closed through the medium of my improved fastener-clasp. One of the vertical edge portions of the cloth at the placketopeningsuch, for instance, as the edge I)- is folded or doubled inward upon itself, and to the under surface of this edge are adapted to be stitched or otherwise secured the clasps forming the means of retaining the placket in its closed position, the construction being such that when the clasps are stitched to this fold the threads will 'notshow on the outside of the garment, thereby preventing marring the appearance of the same.

My improved fastening clasp, which is clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5, comprises a base or lower plate 5, having therein small perforations 6, designed to permit the passage of the securing-threads, said base-plate having a lip portion 7 stamped therefrom and bent upward and inward, said lip being designed to perform a function hereinafter mentioned. The rear portion of the plate is provided with two parallel slots, the material of the plate between said slots forming a tongue, which I have indicated by the numeral 8, while on either side of the tongue, at the rear reduced edge of the plate, are formed vertical lugs 9 9, having perforations therein for the purpose of receiving the pivot-pins 1O 10 of the upper or pivoted top plate 11. This top plate 11 is formed, preferably, as shown in Figs. 4. and 5that is to say, its upper'surface is slightly concaved in the central portion of the plate, the front end of such plate being bent over and under and having teeth, as at 12, formed at the edge thereof, said teeth extending approximately parallel with the under surface of the plate 11, so that any direct pull of the material away from the plate when the material is engaged with the teeth will cause a firmer and more secure penetration of such teeth. The rear end portion 13 of the top plate 11 is also bent downward at approximately right angles relative to the main portion of the plate, such rear end 13 being normally designed when the fastener is closed, as is shown in Fig. 5, to abut or rest upon the rear end portion of the tongue 8 of the baseplate; but when the upper plate 11 is swung over this end portion 13 will press the tongue 8 downward, the tongue holding the plate 11 in its open position and giving a spring tension thereto. In order that the member 11 may not be swung back too far upon its pivots 1O 10, the rear end portions of the lugs 9, which portions are designated by the character 9, are bent or pressed toward each other, so that the distance between the front edges of the members 9 9 is greater than the distance between the rear or inwardly-pressed edges thereof, the inwardly turned or pressed edges of the lugs limiting the movement of the top plate 11 by pressing against the side edges of the same when the top plate is approximately at right angles. In order that the top plate may be mounted relative to the bottom plate so that no projecting edges are left between the lugs and the top plate, the pivots 10 are bent slightly downward and outward, as shown at 14, so that while the plate may move or swing freely on said pivots the appearance of the fastener will not be detracted from nor will there be projecting portions or edges for the garment to catch upon.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the manner of applying and .using my improved fastener-clasp will be readily apparent. The base-plate 5 is secured to the strip or fold 5 through the medium of threads passing through the apertures 6 therein, and when it is desired to close the placket the opposite edge a of the garment is brought over and placed upon the edge Z7, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. Of course any number of fasteners desired may be employed, three or four being ordinarily sufficient, and the edge a may be moved up until it lies against the vertical lug members 9 of each fastener, thus insuring that there will be no sagging of the skirt at the placket, as the lugs 9 are all in vertical alinement, and the edge of the placket-opening will lie in a straight line. The pivoted or upper plates 11 may then be snapped down to engage with the edge a, the teeth entering and securely clasping the material, while the lip 7 will press or direct the material up against the teeth, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3. When the skirt has been closed-that is, in position for use-the placket will present the appearance substantially shown in Fig. 2, the fastener being entirely concealed.

While I have herein shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it is of course to be understood that I do not confine myself to all the precise details of construction enumerated, as there may be modifications and variations in certain respects without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A placket-fastener comprising a base member, Vertical lugs formed at the rear of said base member, the rear vertical edge portions of the lugs being bent toward each other, and a top member pivoted to said lugs, substantially as set forth.

2. A placket-fastener comprising a base member, having apertures therein for the passage of threads, vertical lugs formed at the rear of" said base member, the rear vertical edge portions of the lugs being bent toward each other, a spring-tongue formed of the material of the base member and lying between said lugs, a top or upper member pivoted to said lugs, the rear end portion of the top being bent at right angles to. the main portion thereof and designed to press upon and force the tongue downward when such top member is moved upon its pivot, and teeth formed at the free end of the pivoted member, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a base member, vertical lugs formed at the rear of the base member, the rear portions of said lugs being bent toward each other, a top member, pivots connecting the top member with the lugs, said pivots being inclined downward and outward, and teeth formed at the free end of the top member, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a skirt or analogous article, of a placket-fastener comprising a base plate or member, lugs formed on said base member, a top member, pivots connecting the top member with the lugs, said pivots being inclined downward and outward, inwardly-turned teeth formed at the free end of the top member, the construction being such that when the base-plate is secured to the skirt through the medium of threads passing through apertures therein and the material of the skirt is passed between the pivoted member and the base member, such material will be engaged by the teeth of the pivoted member, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AUGUSTUS D. BELL.

Witnesses:

J NO. M. BITTER, R. B. CAVANAGH. 

